The Progressive Movement (1900-1920) - Suffolk Public Schools Blog

[Pages:2]The Progressive Movement (1900-1920)

VUS.8 ~ How did the nation grow and change from the end of Reconstruction through the early twentieth century?

~ What were the causes and the impact of the Progressive Movement, include the excesses (greed) of the Gilded Age, child labor and antitrust (anti-monopoly) laws, the use of labor unions, and the success of the women's suffrage (right to vote) movement?

During the late 19th century, social problems in rural (country) and urban (city) settings in the United States gave rise to third-party movements and the beginning of the Progressive period. Immediate causes of the Progressive Movement were the excesses of the wealthiest Americans during the Gilded Age and the extremely poor working conditions and low standard of living of American labor. The Progressive Movement, which began in the early twentieth century, wanted to use government to reform problems created by industrialization. Progressives had three main goals. First, they favored government controlled by the people, instead of by big business and other wealthy special interests. Second, they hoped to guarantee Americans economic opportunity through government regulation of business. This idea challenged the traditional American belief in laissez faire economics. Third, Progressives aimed to eliminate social injustices that existed in late nineteenth century America.

The Gilded Age, which occurred during the late 1800s, was a period in American history characterized by great wealth, corruption, and inequality. Unfortunately, this great wealth was held almost exclusively by a small upper class of businessmen and industrialists (factory owners). Many of these selfmade millionaires showed off their importance by flashy displays of money. Since gilded means goldcovered, this display led Mark Twain to call the late 1800s the "Gilded Age." Historians have also called the Gilded Age the age of the robber barons. The "robber barons" were members of this newly rich upper class, who lived in glitzy mansions in New York City, summered in Newport, Rhode Island, and gave lavish parties for members of their small social circle at which they displayed their excessive wealth. This extravagant lifestyle of the robber barons pointed out the severe income disparity between American's small super rich elite and the American masses.

The Muckrakers were an important group of Progressives who drew national attention to income disparity and other social problems plaguing America at the turn of the twentieth century. Muckrakers were writers during the Progressive Era, who exposed (made public) social and political evils. The two most famous presidents identified with the Progressive movement were Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Theodore Roosevelt called his Progressive program the "Square Deal," while Woodrow Wilson called his program the "New Freedom." The Progressive movement occurred on all three levels of government (federal, state, and local) and included both Republicans, like Theodore Roosevelt, and Democrats, like Woodrow Wilson. The Progressive Movement accomplished a great deal. For example, muckraking literature describing the abuses of child labor led state governments to pass child labor laws.

Also at the state level, Progressives attempted to make government more democratic through referendum, initiative, and recall. Some states adopted these democratic reforms, while others did not. Referendum and the initiative are two kinds of procedures that permit voters to decide about laws. Referendum is a process by which citizens may vote on laws that have been passed by a legislative body. Initiative is a process that permits citizens to propose laws to their state or local governments. The referendum and initiative enable citizens to use the vote as a resource to propose, amend, and defeat laws made by governments. A recall election is a process by which citizens may vote to remove government officials from office before their terms are finished. Approximately thirteen states adopted procedure for recall elections during the Progressive period. Progressives also tried to make the election process more democratic on the state level by both requiring use of the secret ballot and providing for primary

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elections. A primary election is an election in which voters nominate candidates for office, rather than allowing political party leaders to choose that party's candidates at state or local conventions.

Progressives made elections more democratic on the national level, when they achieved ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment. The Seventeenth Amendment provided for direct election of United States senators by the people, rather than by the state legislatures. Congress also passed two anti-trust laws. A trust was a group of corporations whose stock was controlled by a central board of directors. The term "trust" became a synonym for monopoly. Since monopoly means the absence of competition, a monopoly is a business which has no competition and therefore can charge whatever prices it wants. Antitrust laws tried to restore free competition to American capitalism. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was an 1890 law that made it illegal for businesses to set up monopolies. It tried to prevent any business structure that "restrains[ed] trade". However, because of its vague wording, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was not very effective. At first, the federal courts used the Sherman Act more to limit unions than business monopolies. During Woodrow Wilson's presidency, Congress passed the Clayton Anti-Trust Act. This law outlawed price-fixing by competing corporations and exempted unions from the Sherman AntiTrust Act. In addition, by the end of the Progressive period, some labor unions had made progress in limiting the number of work hours for their members and gaining improvements in working conditions.

Finally, at the local level Progressives tried to make city governments less corrupt, more efficient, and more responsive to the people's needs by adopting either the commission or council/manager methods of organization. These structural reforms in local government were also a Progressive attempt to meet the needs of increasing urbanization in late nineteenth century America. Under a commission form of city government, voters elect a certain number of commissioners who serve as a board that sets the city's policy. In addition, each commissioner is in charge of a city department. Because a small board is unable to deal with complex urban problems, the commission form of city government is seldom used today. In contrast, approximately half of America's cities now use a council/manager form of government. Progressives wanted city government to be efficient and businesslike. Under this system, voters elect a small city council. The council hires a professional manager to serve as the city's administrator. The city manager appoints city department heads and carries out the council's policies. Since the city manager is not elected, he or she can devote full time to conducting city business.

The Progressive Movement recognized that America's promise of equality had largely ignored American women. As a result, many Progressives supported the women's suffrage movement. Since suffrage means the right to vote, the women's suffrage movement worked to gain the right to vote for American women. This movement benefited from strong leadership provided by such women as Susan B. Anthony. The efforts of Anthony and other suffragettes resulted in the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution. This constitutional amendment, which became part of the Constitution in 1920, gave American women the right to vote. In striving for equality, the women's suffrage movement also encouraged American women to enter the labor force during World War I. The women's suffrage movement was a forerunner of many modern protest movements, especially the feminist movement. Many American feminists today belong to the National Organization for Women (NOW), which continues to work for equal rights for women in American society.

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